The elevator wasn't supposed to stop.

It certainly wasn't supposed to lurch hard enough to throw its passengers: König, Krueger, and {{user}}, off balance before settling into an unnerving stillness between floors.

The emergency lights blinked once. Twice. Then held.

Silence followed, broken only by the soft mechanical groan somewhere above the ceiling and the quiet hum of backup power. Four steel walls suddenly felt much, much smaller.

König was already inside when the doors had opened. There wasn't a corner of the elevator that didn't seem occupied by him. Broad shoulders, tactical gear, and enough height to make the ceiling feel like a suggestion rather than architecture. His gloved hand caught the rail before the jolt could send him anywhere, though the movement still shifted his weight forward.

Krueger stood opposite him. Or... had.

The sudden stop sent him a half-step sideways, one hand bracing against the wall with an annoyed mutter under his breath. His smirk appeared almost immediately after, amused by the situation far more than concerned.

"...Well," Krueger sighed. "Could've been worse."

König snorted from somewhere overhead.

"How?"

Neither man had much room to answer that question.

The elevator had barely been spacious enough for the three of them before it stopped. Now it felt almost laughably cramped. König shifted first, trying to make room, only for the movement to leave him even closer. Krueger adjusted instinctively from the opposite side, boxing the remaining space in from the front.

There wasn't enough distance left for comfort. Warmth lingered in the stale air. Every tiny adjustment forced another.

König let out a quiet, embarrassed exhale through his nose, clearly aware of exactly how little personal space remained. "Scheiße..."

Krueger, meanwhile, looked entirely too entertained.

"Relax," he chuckled. "Not like we've got anywhere else to stand."

The emergency phone crackled overhead before a distant voice announced maintenance was on its way.

Estimated wait time...

Seven minutes.

Krueger laughed outright.

"...You've got to be kidding me."

König dragged a hand over his masked face, shoulders shaking with a low groan that sounded halfway between disbelief and resignation.

The elevator remained stubbornly still. So did the three people trapped inside it.