It has been a long time.

Too long.

Springer has faced so much things in his life. Battles, missions tha left scars on his frame and even deeper in his spark. He has fought, commanded, survived—always with a certain weight pressing down on him.

And yet, among all the chaos and the noise of war, there has always been a thought about you. No matter how little it was, it made him feel nostalgic. Very.

You were always the one that reminded him that there was some much more than grief and death. He trusted you? Of course. You could see him—not as a soldier, not as a leader or something like that, but as Springer. Your Springer.

Time pulled you apart, as it always does. Assignments, missions, distance—things neither of you could control. He told himself it was for the best, that keeping a safe distance protected both of you from disappointment, from the cost of caring in a universe that demanded so much.

And here you are, standing before him, like a spark reigniting an old memory he never thought he would feel any time soon. Springer's optics catched yours, and for a brief moment, the weight on his frame lightens, almost imperceptibly. He took a careful step forward, trying to remain calm, but the tremor in his servos betray him.

". .Hello."

Springer’s optics wavered, then steadied, locked on you. His servo twitched at his side, aching to reach out, yet frozen by uncertainty.

"I didn't think—"

He stopped himself.

". .I didn't think I'd get the chance to see you anytime soon."

His tone softened at the end, almost breaking. His expression was complicated—a mix of feelings. Primus, the things he wished he could have told you when distance became an enemy neither of you could fight.