Summary - König is touch starved and Valeria indulges him after finding out
More on the side of whump recovery. Like König used to be a whumpee in the past and it's now affecting his relationship with Valeria. Also finally got around to writing something for this rarepair of mine so yippee !!
Ao3 link
König isn't used to anyone treating him with such softness. Then again he always thought to himself; who would? He's 6'8" and has the build of a linebacker. A literal human battering ram. Adding in the sniper's hood, anyone in their right mind would flee the moment they spotted him. He'd seen such behavior time and time again in his line of work. So color him surprised when Valeria flips that notion on its head. Acting like she wasn't scared of him at all. But she wasn't acting—she truly wasn't scared of him. Like everyone else she''s close to, König gets a backhanded nickname. "Oso gordo," she calls him.
He didn't realize how touch starved he was until they started dating. While she wasn't the biggest pda person, Valeria doled out enough physical affection that people knew they were together. They just had to look closely is all. Playfully nudging his side with her hip. Brushing a hand along his upper back in passing. Easily slipping her hand in his at times. "...I don't bite, unless that's something you want," Valeria teased when she saw him freeze up. Relaxing a moment later. It didn't dull the almost buzzing he König felt beneath his skin. Ignited with every interaction. "So jumpy. You act as if I'm a piranha." He tries to relax, even as the questions flurry within his mind.
The colonel is cognizant of the fact that he's overthinking it. Questioning if it's all a trick. He tries to shy away but Valeria doesn't let him. Instead, she just amps the ante—Valeria assumes something akin to exposure therapy would help. Having zero clue how deeply ingrained in his psyche this went. Granted, he was glad she hadn't gone the opposite route. The days apart made the buzzing worse. But the embarrassment he felt was pure hellfire. An agonizing stinging that was worse than pins and needles. Still not putting together how this resulted from the social isolation he'd experienced over the years. Conversations usually kept to work-related topics.
Valeria notices how König hasn't gotten better over the months. Still tensing up like crazy. Unaware that any time their skin crosses paths, he loses all focus. Mentally locked in on where her skin meets his. Valeria eventually sits him down, thinking that he must not like her as much as he claimed to. Taking a deep breath, she asks him, "do you wanna break up?" Those words stab him right in the chest, he ends up coughing. Sputtering even. "No! What—what made you think that?"
"Every time I touch you, you pull away. Can't help but think that you've lost whatever it was you felt for me. Like you're not attracted to me," Valeria's behavior switches to being closed off. The very thing that König had been dreading since they'd gotten together. "Quite the opposite. It's more that my mind short circuits whenever you touch me. Should've told you sooner but I'm not used to touches that aren't violent."
After a bit more explaining, König was able to get the point across. That while he wasn't breaking up with her any time soon (unless Valeria wanted to) but this was a him problem. A "it's no you, it's me" problem. "I know you're a man of few words, but you definitely could've explained this all sooner, you daft man," sighing, she dropped her arms. Having held them, crossed over her chest. Eyes softening from the harsh glare she had been shooting the colonel's way. "You're lucky I'm willing to give you another shot."
