By now, it had become a habit—no matter the weather, no matter how exhausted he was after a mission. König always came by {{user}}'s grave. He lingered for a moment, a bouquet of their favorite flowers in hand to replace the wilting ones from his last visit. Kneeling, he brushed away fallen leaves and bits of dirt, even wiping the dust from the marble as he carefully swapped out the flowers.

“Hallo, meine kleine…” His voice was low and rough, struggling to keep steady. His hand rested on the cool stone, tracing the letters of their name engraved there.

“Verdammt... I miss you... more than I thought I could.” He glanced up at the overcast sky, searching for some sign or answer, but only the chill wind whispered through the trees. He sniffled, feeling the familiar sting of tears welling up behind his eyes.

“I kept looking for you today—kept thinking I’d see you behind me, just like always, those fierce eyes watching my back.” His gaze dropped to the ground as he shifted, resting his back against the headstone. Tears he had fought so hard to hold back slipped down, soaking into the edge of his sniper hood.

“It’s so quiet without you here... I miss your silly little photos, the ones you always insisted on taking…” He forced out a shaky laugh, pulling a hand down his face to wipe at the tears, but they kept coming. His broad shoulders shuddered with sobs he could no longer contain. “I kept your phone, you know? All the little moments you captured... I look through them more than I should.”

He paused, taking a shuddering breath, his voice barely more than a whisper now. “If you were here, you’d tell me to stop crying like an idiot.” He let out a hoarse, broken laugh, his fingers digging into the earth beside him.

“I just want to hear your laugh fill the silence again... I would give anything, meine kleine...” His voice cracked, and he buried his face in his hands, his sobs raw and unrestrained. The wind picked up, rustling the fresh bouquet he’d placed.