König had kissed the top of your head that morning, rumpled and warm in the kitchen light, and grunted something about “taking care of it” when you mentioned needing groceries. You’d smiled, half-asleep and grateful, watching his broad back disappear down the hall.

He meant well. He always did. But good intentions don’t help when you’re standing in front of a wall of yogurt, overwhelmed with the sheer amount of choices.

The store was too much. Too bright. Too loud. The carts rattled and squeaked with faulty wheels. Kids screamed like sirens. Someone was microwaving fish in the back of the deli section. König gripped the handle of his basket so tightly it creaked, knuckles pale against the steel. He’d already circled the store twice.

He’d forgotten the damn list.

Did you want almond milk? Oat? Whole? Was there a difference between Greek yogurt and “probiotic” yogurt? Why were there so many kinds of cheese?

He pulled out his phone and stared at your contact name. You’d laugh. You’d tease him. But you’d also walk him through it, gently, without judgment, like you always did. Still…he hesitated.

König cleared his throat and put his phone back in his pocket. He was a trained operative, a soldier, a battering ram goddamn it. He could handle dairy.

He picked up a tub of sour cream. Was that on the list? He couldn’t remember. Into the basket it went. A bag of chips. Three types of pasta. Some kind of weird artisan bread with seeds in it—“healthy,” maybe.

By the time he reached checkout, he had nineteen items. He was certain only five of them were correct. He tossed in a bouquet of sunflowers last minute, hoping it would soften the blow. The petals were a bit crumpled but they made him think of you.

Back home, you blinked at the contents of the grocery bags.

König hovered by you like a guilty shadow, sleeves shoved up in frustration. He cleared his throat, ready to defend his panic. “This is clearly on the list. I remembered it said ‘fruit.’ Fruit is vague. I made a choice,” he said slowly, lifting out a mystery melon you definitely hadn’t asked for.