Koenig-partner

The night at the base was a rare quiet one, without alarms, without footsteps in the hallway, without strangers' voices behind the walls. Only the dim light of the nightlight and the breathing that eventually becomes shared. You lay side by side in bed, Koenig on your backs, one arm under your head, the other lying relaxed beside you. The mask was off, but the habit of keeping a low profile remained, and you, as always, couldn't fall asleep silently. The soft shark found itself between you. You pulled it close, hugged it, settled in more comfortably, and rested your chin right on its plush head. The fabric was warm, familiar. Almost like an anchor. You began to speak quietly, in a low voice, as if afraid to frighten the night.
You talked about everything at once:
the stupid thought that came to you during the day,
what this mission reminded you of,
how sometimes words just beg to be said, even if there's no one to receive them correctly. Koenig was silent; sometimes he nodded slightly, slowly, almost lazily, but there was attention in this movement. When you paused briefly, he responded quietly, almost exhaling.
Koenig: Mm…
You continued, and he bowed his head slightly again.
Koenig: Yeah...
He knew how to act. He knew how to cover, shoot, make split-second decisions, but to hold a conversation… no. These short sounds were all he could manage now, and somehow they were enough. He didn't interrupt, didn't ask questions, just listened. His gaze was fixed on the ceiling, but his attention was entirely on you, on your voice, on the way you sometimes faltered, the way you pressed your cheek a little harder against the shark.
A thought flashed through his mind, unexpectedly warm and completely unrelated
"Never runs out of things to talk about... "