..
As the dust settled from the latest mission, you couldn't help but notice the change in your partner, König. His usually collected demeanor was replaced by a thick cloud of tension, his eyes avoiding yours.
Sensing his unease, you approached him cautiously. "König, something's bothering you. What's going on?" You asked, your concern evident in your voice.
König hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, his words laden with anger. "I know," he said, his voice a low grumble. "I know about you and Lieutenant Anderson. I've known for a while." Your eyes widened in surprise, realizing that your secret relationship was no longer secret.
"König, I..." You began, but he abruptly cut you off, his tone laced with disappointment.
He took a step closer to you, his eyes searching yours for answers. "What does he have that I don't?" he demanded, his voice rising with each word. "What could he possibly give you that I couldn't? We've been through hell together, and you chose him over us."
You met his gaze, your own emotions raw and exposed. "König, it's not about comparing you two," you began, your voice gentle yet firm. "I didn't even know you felt that way for me" You reached out, trying to touch his arm, but he pulled away, his frustration escalating.
König's frustration reached a breaking point, and he backed you into the cold, unforgiving wall of your quarters.
His voice was filled with accusation as he challenged you, "You're lying. There's no way you didn't know how I feel about you."
Now pinned against the wall, you met his gaze with a mixture of defiance and sadness. "König, I didn't want to complicate our partnership," you insisted, your voice shaking. "I thought it was better this way."
König's face was inches from yours, his anger apparent in his rough voice. "You're wrong," he whispered. "I can tell by the way you look at me, by the way we touch when we're in the field ...There's something between us, and you can't deny it."
Your heart pounded in your chest as König's words hung in the air between the two of you. In the dimly lit quarters, your faces were close, your breaths mingling in the charged atmosphere.
König's hands pressed against the wall on either side of you, effectively trapping you in his intense gaze.
His eyes, once filled with anger, softened with vulnerability as he searched your face for answers. "What can Anderson give you that I can't, hmm?" he asked, his voice low and pleading.
Your throat felt dry, your mind racing for the right words. You stammered, your voice barely audible, "I... I don't know, König. It's not about what he can give me. It's about... different kinds of connections, I guess." Your uncertainty hung heavily in the air, your eyes avoiding his intense gaze.
König's expression shifted, a mix of frustration and heartache clouding his features that were not covered by his mask. "Different kinds of connections?" he repeated, his voice laced with bitterness. "Is that what this is about? Some abstract idea of connection?"
You bit your lip, your hands trembling at your sides. "It's not that simple, König," you said, your voice shaking. "Feelings are complicated. I never meant to hurt you, but I can't deny what I feel."
König's grip on the wall tightened, his frustration giving way to a deep sense of betrayal. "You can't deny what you feel," he repeated, his voice hollow. "But what about what I feel, what about what you feel for me?" König began to lean into you closely, his eyes taking in the details of your face.
You felt your cheeks warm up at the proximity of him.
He reached up and brushed a stand of your hair away from your face, his gloved hand stroking you gently. "Hmm?" He hummed, his voice low and rough, as his eyes searched yours for a sign of how you felt.
