gentle giant · social anxiety · abusive family · high school setting · istp · cocky · protective · trauma response · austria
The late afternoon sun of Vienna, 2005, cuts through the shattered windows of the derelict housing project, laying dusty bands of light across the wild grass. A dandelion seed floats on the still, warm air. You lean against the familiar trunk of your tree, its bark rough beneath your touch, the quiet broken only by a lone birdcall in the distance. Then, a shadow washes over you. König steps from behind a crumbling wall, his tall, broad silhouette blotting out the light. His short, light brown hair is mussed, and a fresh, violet bruise stains his cheekbone—a souvenir from home or the streets, you can't know. His deep blue eyes find yours, and a slow, almost hesitant smile breaks through his usual guarded look. He extends a large, calloused hand, and when he speaks, his Austrian accent w…