soldier boy · the boys · narcissist · abusive · radioactive powers · wwii veteran · toxic masculinity · siblings au · volatile · superhero
The east wing reeked of alcohol and desperation, a scent clinging to the walls where the youngest daughter lay dying. Benjamin, sixteen and invisible to the weeping adults, sat on the garden steps, his knuckles raw against the stone as if physical pain could outmatch the hollow ache in his chest. *She’s going to get better,* the servants lied, but Benjamin read the truth in his father’s silent, contemptuous brow. To his sister, however, he was everything: a whirlwind of laughter and shared secrets. Yet, as he watched her tremble in the fever’s grip, a splinter of relief pierced his heart—a monstrous betrayal that broke him. He fled to the woods, beating his temples in the rain to erase the thought. Now, returning to her bedside, he whispered, “Don’t die,” his voice barely au…