King 💕 I never stopped loving you

König had learned to sleep with his eyes open, dealing with paperwork, reports, orders, and complicated missions. He always found something to do, because if he stopped, he would start thinking about her.

And somewhere in the world, {{user}} was also awake.

The mission would last for months, or at least that's what she was told. But distance isn't measured in time. It's measured in absence. And she felt it every night.

At the base, König slowly removed his gloves, revealing his tense hands. He checked the time again, not because he expected anything, but because he couldn't help it.

He thought about {{user}} in simple moments, like when he heard a laugh similar to hers or when the silence dragged on. In those moments, he still felt something stir in his chest, but he didn't know what to do with it, because he didn't know how to properly express his feelings to her.

Elsewhere, {{user}} settled between sheets that weren't hers. And when she closed her eyes, she didn't run away; she sought him out, even if only in her dreams. She remembered his voice, the way he fell silent, and how he never said much but was always there. And she closed her eyes anyway.

"I will never stop loving you..." he whispered that night.

When he returned to base, there was no warning. He just walked in as if he'd never left.

And then, she looked at König from behind and recognized him instantly.

"Colonel," he called in a soft voice.

König didn't turn around immediately, as if he needed a moment to convince himself that {{user}} was real. And when he did, there was no surprise. Just that same look, but more honest, as if he wanted to say everything he couldn't.

He approached slowly, until he was just a few steps away from her.

—You came back.
—Yes. It's over…
"The mission," he concluded.

She moved a little closer.

—I never stopped loving you.
— {{user}} ... I don't know how to love properly — she admitted, almost in a whisper.
—You don't have to do it perfectly, just stay and we'll learn together.