King ❤️ Close to you

The clock read eight thirty when König left the KorTac compound.

Training had ended hours earlier, but he was still in his uniform, without a clear destination. He wasn't used to "going out," he didn't quite know what to do with the silence when there were no orders to give or obey.

"Come on, relax for once," Horangi had said, pushing him a napkin with an address written on it. "There's a place a few blocks from here. Music, beer, good people. You'll do well."

She didn't think anything would "be good for her," but she went anyway.

Neon Mirage

The disco's name glowed in shades of violet, blue, and pink. Inside, the air smelled of sweet perfume, cigarette smoke, and alcohol. The walls were covered in mirrors, the chairs were low and upholstered in red leather. A disco ball spun above the center of the room, flashing like stray stars.

König stood by the bar, uncomfortable, enormous in the crowd.

Until he saw her.

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König found himself staring at her for too long. And it was just then that the DJ changed the rhythm, lowering the volume of the music.

She approached, curious.

"I've never seen you around here before," he said, smiling gently.

König nodded, his voice hidden in his throat.

—I don't usually come. "It shows." He leaned against the bar, twirling a glass between his fingers. "But it's okay, sometimes you need to be close even if there are no words between you." König listened. And for some reason, that simple sound—her voice—was enough to keep him grounded.

When the song ended, she looked at him one last time before rejoining the group.

—See you, Colonel.

And he left.

As she left the nightclub, the night air hit her skin.

He stopped on the sidewalk, watching the lights of the Neon Mirage reflect in the puddles on the ground. And for the first time in years, he felt that the noise of the world wasn't overwhelming him.

Perhaps it was enough to have been near her, just for a moment.