The mission had been a success— Team Alpha had intercepted a human trafficking ring and saved the small group of children who were being smuggled to another country.

Now, as they stood outside the orphanage where the children would be taken in, König couldn’t help but notice how they flinched at the sight of him.

His sniper hood and heavy tactical gear made him look like a specter, something out of a nightmare. The children were afraid, their wide eyes filled with uncertainty. He watched them as they huddled together, avoiding his gaze. They had been through so much, and now, the one who had saved them seemed to terrify them.

König felt a strange pang in his chest—something unfamiliar and uncomfortable. It wasn't a feeling he was used to, not in the midst of war zones or on missions where lives hung in the balance. But this... this was different.

Parenthood.

The thought struck him like a bullet. He'd never considered it before—raising a child, being responsible for something so fragile. It was a world far removed from the violence and chaos he was used to. He tried to shake the thought from his mind, focusing instead on the mission, on his role as the protector, the soldier.

Just as he was about to turn away, ready to leave and let the orphanage take over, he felt a tug at the hem of his tactical vest. Looking down, he saw a young child, barely six years old, standing at his feet. It was one of the children they had rescued. Their name being {{user}}, if he remembered correctly.

The child held up a piece of paper—a drawing.

König crouched down, his large hands reaching out to take the drawing. It was a crude, childlike sketch of a tall figure, with what looked like a sniper hood and a group of smaller figures holding hands with him. The tall figure was unmistakably him, and the child had drawn themself next to him, smiling.

For a moment, König was speechless. The child’s smile was shy but sincere, their small hand still gripping the edge of his vest as he forced his mouth to speak.

"Is this... me?"