WARZONE - König

20 Pt. One

Shipping time was making dreadful approach. Soon, Nadja and Konig would go their separate ways, Nadja back to the U.S., and Konig back to Germany. Despite their uncertainty about what lay ahead, they carried themselves with confidence, masking their fears with a show of readiness.

For Konig, home meant leaving someone who was capable of not only prying the encasement around his pure self open, but completely removing the shackles as well. The anxiety that once imprisoned him was now a distant memory, replaced by a newfound sense of liberation. Although it would take time to adjust, Konig embraced his transformation, grateful for the profound impact Nadja had on his life in such a short span of time.

A woman who once undermined his authority, who was once too cocky for her own good, ended up being the saving grace this mountain of a man needed, all while helping her in a way she didn't know she needed.

But after all that, they were to simply part ways? The thought of it shivered him in anxiety once more, his heart skipping a beat at the idea of returning to his lonely dorm in Germany. He was completely unsure of how he'd cope continuing forward.

Meanwhile, Nadja feared what she'd return home to. With her commander gone and Shadow Company likely disbanded, she had no idea where she'd fit in anymore. She tried to remind herself that everything was okay, that her mission was successful and that was all that mattered, but despite the strength she gained, a dark cloud still loomed over her shoulder.

But there was also the lingering reminder just next to her; a tall, mysterious man whom she'd grown an attachment of sorts to. She thought back on the memories as they walked aside one another down the bland white hall, still able to feel the dirt and grime coated on her skin after a week of no shower.

She looks down to her battle scarred boots for a moment, wearing her emotions on her face for only a second before raising her chin once more. She tightens her fists as she fights the anxious growling in her stomach just before they arrive to the laundry room.

Taking their few belongings, the two exit together, continuing a long, silent walk down the hall as Nadja leads way to shipping. They squeeze through the entrance past the crowd of people standing around, slowing their pace as they finally stop center of the room, surrounded by chattering soldiers relieved to return home. But this pair stuck out amongst the sea of soldiers, Nadja's cheeks pulsing as she grit her teeth while her eyes darted around, searching for a place to sit.

But amongst the crowded room, there was only space by the wall. Nadja trudges through, gently pushing past the men carelessly blocking the way as Konig stuck close behind her, standing tall over nearly every person in the room. Finally, they were able to relax for a moment, dropping their things and leaning against the wall as Konig stood across her.

Nadja crosses her arms, eyes still scanning the surrounding area, while Konig watches her. His eyelids fall heavy as he was locked on, a sad smile cracking on his lips. Even now, she seemed so assertive. She was hardly letting her fear show face as she mean-mugged the room.

She meets her eyes with his, Konig greeting her with a grin. "What time is it?" She asks. Konig looks down to his watch, still ticking despite the trauma it's gone through. Without a word, he simply uses two fingers from his free hand to release the watch from his wrist, handing it to Nadja.

She looks to it in his hand for a moment, a bit of a pale line leaving its mark on his wrist, but eventually takes it. She reads the time, curling her lip as she cups the watch in her palms.

"2100 on the dot." She says softly. As the intercom calls a squadron forward, a soldier knocks into Konig while trying to pass, pushing him forward and nearly into Nadja. He and her both look to the solider with menacing glares, the man looking back with a mindless smile that drops as his eyes draw up to Konig's, turning and disappearing towards the exit.

He shakes his head, looking back to Nadja who's eyes still followed the rude soldier. But as she lost sight, she looks up to her comrade, an irritable look on her face. "No house training." She jokes, the two cracking a smile before falling silent. She looks down to his chest, only inches from her face as he shoves his hands anxiously into his pockets, then looks down to the watch she holds.

"A gift, so you don't forget me." He says, his voice kind.

She rolls her eyes. "Trust me, I never will."

Konigs hand suddenly pulls from his pocket, hesitating as it reached for her. He places his warm palm onto her bare bicep, giving a gentle rub before stepping back.

"I'm gonna take a piss." He says, looking around and spotting the bathroom.

"Hope you're not thirsty." Nadja teases, triggering a laugh from Konig as he walks off. The crowd seemed to split for him as his overbearing physique was hard to miss, making for an easy trip into the men's restroom.

It smelled, and the sound of the chatter outside still echoed within. After Konig relieves himself, he steps to the sink, turning the water on and scrubs the soap between his fingers. But as he washes the suds away, he notices micro scars on his hands where dirt seemed to be permanently trapped. He took a closer look, furrowing his brows in frustration as he pumped more soap onto his hands, scrubbing harder this time and rinsing them off, only to find it still remained.

Letting out a defeated sigh, he looks up into the mirror, stained with time and turning yellow around the edges. He meets with his own blue eyes. 'I look tired'. He thought to himself, widening them before letting them fall back naturally. He leans in closer, having to duck down to fully see himself as the placement was too low for him, and ran his fingers over the light hair growing in around his chin and jaw.

But as he pulled away, staring at himself, he came to a harsh realization; He was able to face the mirror without looking away. His own face no longer felt unrecognizable. Though he never considered himself to be ugly, it was more of what it reminded him of that kept him from looking.

He still had a long way to go. Perhaps being with Nadja was what gave him such a confidence boost, and it would simply dissipate once he was back home. He had a lot to figure out, but this small step was the push he needed to begin self-recovery.

He steps away from the mirror, leaving the rank bathroom and looking ahead through the crowd as his eyes target onto Nadja, standing in the same spot he'd left her at, staring to the watch he'd given her.

Her attention is drawn as he stands across her once more, the two smiling to one another before the comms above suddenly make another call; "Konig, company KorTac, please come to deployment release." A nagging voice commands.

Their hearts drop as they look to one another, their fake confidence suddenly wiped. Nadja broke from her frozen trance, reaching down and grabbing Konig's bag, handing it to him as he looked to it with a broken heart. He regretfully takes the bag, their hands meetings for a brief moment as he pulls it to himself.

Pulling the bag open, he reaches in and grabs his sniper hood, now freshly cleaned, and tosses the bag over his shoulders. Looking towards the exit, gritting his teeth as his heart ached, he looks back to Nadja, her large brown puppy eyes staring back at him as she holds his watch to her chest.

"Little siren," He begins in German. "take care of yourself." He finishes, taking her hand into his, their skin tones drastically contrasting against one another as his thumb caresses the top of her knuckle. "Thank you for everything." He finally says in English, letting her go as he steps back, slipping the hood back over his head as he meets with a member of his company who escorts him out.

Nadja presses her back against the cold painted brick wall as she loses sight of her now former comrade, clenching the chest of her tank-top with the watch still in hand as she takes a deep breath, trying her best to process all that'd happened as she stood alone, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.

And not too soon after, she'd been called to return home as well. As she readies herself to see America once more, she places Konig's watch on her wrist, tightening it down before entering the private jet sent by the S.A.S.