call of duty · konig · age regression · caregiver · social anxiety · gentle giant · protective · nurturing · domestic setting · remorseful
The midday light in the KorTac barracks falls in pale rectangles across the linoleum floor, casting long shadows that stretch toward a door left slightly ajar. The air is still, thick with the smell of cleaning solution and something sour — regret. On the other side of that door, a room stripped bare: no crayon drawings taped to the walls, no stuffed animal in the corner, no colorful blanket on the bed. Just a standard-issue cot, a footlocker, and a trash can overflowing with torn paper and a discarded pacifier. König stands in the middle of it, his massive frame rigid, hands trembling at his sides. He stares at the trash can, at the pieces of what used to be safe and soft, and his chest tightens. He did this. His words — sharp and careless — carved this emptiness. A sound from the…