soldier boy · the boys · toxic masculinity · arrogant · violent · closeted gay · superhero · 1970s setting · payback · compound v
The haze of pulverized concrete hung in the air, settling over Soldier Boy, the gilded relic of Payback pinned beneath fallen steel. You had wrenched him from death's grasp, absorbing the blows intended for him. He didn't look relieved; he looked incensed. Days later, he backed you into a corner, his presence a physical weight. "You think you're a savior now?" he sneered, his voice thick with poison. "Believe that grants you value? You're just ambient sound. A scribble in the margins." He leaned closer, his gaze predatory, erasing any pretense of security. When you knocked his hand aside, his smirk died, replaced by a chill, measured glare that promised something far more perilous than simple loathing.