Beware of the Shadow - König x Fem Reader

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Image credit @irxvm

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As I was finishing preparing my rifle in the storage room, I noticed König glancing at me. Memories of our match came in, some of his warnings too. Even when I took a quick shower this morning I noticed new bruises on my back and arms, yet another reminder of what could happen if König decided to turn his threats into reality.

It wasn't long before his sharp accent came to my ears again.

"You're ready?"

I gave him a side eye and nodded silently, settling on the strategy of not digging my own grave as soon as I open my mouth around him.

Like yesterday, guessing his current emotional status was difficult without a face to look at. My only hint was his voice, but it was plain neutral. The large man looked around, then gestured towards the nearby shooting range.

"Alright, let's see what you've got then."

He strongly patted my shoulder and left with long strides. I couldn't really decide if this was an attempt to encourage me or, on the contrary, to put pressure on me again. Nonetheless, I followed him and saw that the other recruits were already in position. I joined them and took place at the end of the range, then waited quietly for instructions.

But Kevin, the annoying shit next to me, didn't share that point of view it seemed. He whispered to me without really caring if people around us could hear him.

"Hey Kitten, aren't you worried? You know that you have a reputation that sticks to your ass, right?"

I kept my gaze in front of me, resolved to not let any of his words phase me. I was starting to get used to the character: only mouth, no guts. As his miserable taunt remained unanswered, he scoffed.

"If you can't make it up to it doll don't worry, I'll take care of it."

He had a snide glint in his eyes as a smirk hung about his lips. He really looked as dumb as he sounded, his American accent not helping his case.

I then noticed how his sleeves were rolled up, proudly exposing his scratched forearms. In the last hand-to-hand combats, Kevin saw fit to provoke me and my response may have left him with a lovely souvenir—just like I did with König's hand now that I think about it. The only downside being him calling me "Kitten" ever since.

I stared ahead of me again, focusing on the training area and the impending tests that lay ahead. Soon, one of the instructors spoke up, providing a brief recap of what to expect.

"Alright, let's begin. The targets range roughly from 20 up to 100 feets away from your positions. You'll have to handle your reloads and adjust your setup when necessary, there will be no breaks. Any questions before we start?"

Kevin's voice erupted by my side, sending direct shivers down my spine. His voice was so irksome, especially to my ears, that I couldn't help an annoyed expression to claim my face.

"Yes sir! Will the best win something?" he queried with evident mischief.

I felt Kevin gaze on me again. Of course this was a "hidden" duel request. I stayed silent but oh god, he had his ways to crawl under my skin. I couldn't help but to wonder what was worse between having to put up with him all morning or to face the consequences of shooting him in the foot.

König glanced at Kevin, but chose not to comment on his cocky attitude.

"We will only be taking into consideration your accuracy score. This is an evaluation of your progress within the shooting range, not a contest." he stated, his tone alone implying that it was better for Kevin to keep quiet.

Kevin scoffed but didn't reply. He instead lowered his voice again and whispered to me: "May the best win, Kitten."

I was already committed to taking this test seriously anyway, but now, I had the additional mission to shut Kevin's mouth once and for all. The instructor resumed like nothing happened, his voice monotone but still helding an imposing presence.

"Alright, the test begins on 3, 2, 1... Weapon's free!"

Loud gunshots were heard throughout the shooting range as the targets started to move. I aimed for the heads when I could, refraining any hesitation to creep in.

When they checked for accuracy points they kept the results silent, probably to avoid any childish competition among some. Kevin's cocky smile was mostly gone, but I refrained myself from looking at him too much as the less interaction with him, the better.

Later came the test for ranged weapons and I sighed in relief: seeing we could only go one after the other would mean I wouldn't have to bear Kevin's presence again during it. Speaking of him, I guess he did great by how he got up with a wide smirk after his evaluation. I could only guess, since I wasn't too bothered to look actually.

He came to me and landed his nasty hand on my shoulder, right where König did yesterday.

"Sorry, but I couldn't make this easy for you, you know?" he gloated.

I shoved his hand from my shoulder, pointedly ignoring him once more. Even König let out an amused grunt as he watched Kevin's taunts getting rebuffed again. He was probably delighted to see me undergo what I had indulged him during our fight yesterday.

I laid on the ground in front of the sniper rifle, quickly reloading it while I took a peek at the field through the scope. As I got the green light to start, I isolated myself in my thoughts, landing my shots and scoring clean headshots all throughout the evaluation.

König seemed pleased with the skills, and I could hear whispers amongst the other recruits as one was pocking Kevin with their elbow. His usual smugness was absent from his face as it drifted onto mine. When I got to him, I gave him my most devilish grin as I mimicked his grating voice.

"Sorry, I couldn't make this easy for you, you know?"

He didn't respond, but frustration was clearly showing through his clenched fist and gritted teeth. From this point on, he thankfully stopped talking to me whatsoever. He only shot me nasty glares, and I left every one of them unanswered. Such a fragile ego for an arrogant prick...

After all tests were finished, we were finally given the results as our newly assigned position. The others seemed excited for the missions ahead, comparing each other's performances. In my case, I was unsurprisingly confirmed into the sniper team.

I saw Kevin leaving the room without another word, surely prompted by how I had a better overall score than him. As I said: all mouth, no guts.

While I watched him leave with an over satisfied smile, I heard footsteps behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw König coming toward me with a slow gait. He seemed to be in a much better mood than yesterday as he came to a stop in front of me.

"Well done on the tests," he complimented in a rather pleased tone, "I expect great things from you."

His words caught me off guard, but I managed to offer him a smile as I extended my hand in a peace making manner. Despite the temptation to brag, I saw this as an opportunity to show I could rise above pettiness.

"Thank you, I only wish to be useful here."

He looked down at my extended hand for a moment before taking it strongly to shake it.

"You will be," König admitted. "Now that's out of the way," he continued as he released my hand, "I hope that you will show the same level of maturity as today."

His expression then returned to its usual stoicism as he turned and walked away without another word.

So... I guess we're good now?

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