As Long As You're Here

0 : Introduction

Camp Seventeen sat on a low hill on the edge of a city whose name few people still spoke aloud. From a distance, it looked like a gray, weary patch of earth, stained with earth-colored tents, torn barbed wire and the smoke of old generators. The air always smelled of a mixture of dust, diesel fuel and sometimes dried blood. At night, when the wind blew in from the mountains, the distant sound of explosions tapped against the roofs of the tents like a slow mallet and no one moved from their place anymore. Everyone had learned that a distant sound was not yet danger. Danger was when silence came.
In the middle of the camp stood the field hospital. It was a temporary building with metal walls and a canvas roof that turned into an oven on hot days and, on cold nights, let the chill of the mountains seep straight into the bone. Inside, the yellow light of emergency lamps always shone, and the smell of disinfectant mingled with sweat and fear.

Boat had come out of the operating room at three twenty-two in the morning. He had taken off his gloves, but the smell of latex and blood still lingered on his skin. His tall frame made his shadow stretch across the walls of the tent whenever he passed beneath the dim lights. His black hair, which he had carefully arranged that morning, was now slightly disheveled, and a few strands had fallen across his forehead. He touched his simple black watch and took a deep breath. The air outside was colder than inside, but at least it felt cleaner.
He headed toward the far end of the camp, where an old, half-ruined building stood. Its window was still intact. Boat didn't sit down there. He only stood and looked at his hands. They were still trembling slightly. The patient who had been left on the operating table was no longer breathing. Boat had written his name in the small notebook in his pocket.
He always wrote.
Behind him came the sound of light, irregular footsteps.

"Doctor Boat?"

The voice was young. A little breathless and a little cheerful. Completely out of place.

Boat didn't turn around. Only his shoulders grew slightly stiffer.

"If you don't have anything urgent, go!"

The footsteps came closer. Then came the sound of a short laugh, as if its owner hadn't noticed the heavy atmosphere.

"Wow. You're even more good-tempered than they said! I'm Oat. The team's new translator. I'm officially here as of today. They said that if you needed anything, or if anyone needed a translation, I should come straight to you."

Boat finally turned around. His gaze was cold and direct. A man shorter than him, with dark brown hair that had a slight wave to it and eyes that seemed bright even in the low light, stood before him. A cluttered bag hung from his shoulder. His smile was still on his face, as if three in the morning and the smell of blood and death were completely separate from his life.

Boat only looked at him for a few seconds. Then, in a voice quieter than even his usual one, he said:

"It's three in the morning and I just came out of the operating room. My patient died and you're here to laugh and introduce yourself??"

Oat's smile faded a little but it didn't disappear. He only tilted his head.

"Yeah! Because if I wait until everyone's in a good mood, I might never get the chance to introduce myself!"

Boat blinked slowly. As if he were tasting Oat's words.

"Get out of here."

This time, Oat didn't laugh again. He only took one step closer. The distance between them was now less than two meters.

"I'm not going. Because if I leave, tomorrow I'll have to come back and introduce myself all over again and you'll talk just as coldly to me. So it's better if we get this over with now."

Boat let out a breath, his voice grew slightly sharper.

"You don't know what it's like here! This isn't a place for jokes and smiles... People die. Every day. And if you're going to come in here with all this cheerful energy and distract me, I'd rather know now that I can't count on you."

A heavy silence fell between them. The cold wind slipped through the gaps in the half-ruined walls and gently stirred Boat's soft hair.
This time, Oat looked at him with complete seriousness. For the first time since he had arrived, his smile had disappeared.

"I don't want to distract you. I came so that, when it's needed, you can talk. With the people here, with their families, with those who might just need one sentence to understand that there's still someone who will listen."

Boat didn't look away. He only touched his watch.

"And you think that smiling at three in the morning means you know how to do this?"

Oat shrugged. This time, his smile returned, smaller and a little more bitter.

"No. I think that by smiling at three in the morning, at least I'm showing that I'm still alive! And that you're still alive too! Even if you pretend you're not!!"

Boat remained silent for a few more seconds. Then he turned back and started walking toward the hospital. His steps were firm and steady.
From behind him came Oat's voice, quieter than before:

"I'll come tomorrow morning. If you want, you can tell me to go again. But at least this time, you know my name."

Boat gave no answer. Only when he reached the shadow of the tents did he stop for a moment. His ears had grown slightly warm, he didn't notice it himself.

Oat stayed where he was. He watched the back of the tall man and murmured under his breath:

"How strict... but your eyes are tired..."

Then he shifted his bag and stood in the darkness. For the first time that night, he didn't smile anymore.
He only waited until Boat was completely out of sight.

Author’s Note ☆

Hi, I’m Sana, the author of this fiction~
First of all, thank you so much for choosing my story to read. I really hope it won’t disappoint you✨️
For me, BoatOat have become a symbol of the purest kind of romance, so naturally, my very romantic soul has been overflowing with thousands of ideas for them.
I don’t know if all of those ideas will ever make it to the page, but well… As Long As You’re Here is here:))
This isn’t meant to be anything too complicated or extraordinary... It’s simply a slow, everyday romance set in a difficult place. Two people slowly learning each other, step by step and trying to grow their love like a flower pushing its way through stone.

If you have any thoughts, I’d really love to hear them, so please feel free to share your opinions with me ❤️

And one more thing: English isn’t my first language. I’m just doing my best, so I apologize in advance if there are any mistakes or awkward parts.

hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. 🫶🏻