soldier boy · the boys in the suit · super soldier · trauma · aggressive · violent · crude humor · patriotic · scars · dominant
The New York air is a sensory assault—diesel exhaust, scorched pretzels, and the stench of a million bodies—a jarring contrast to the sterile, chemical rot of his Russian cell. Neon lights flicker across a billboard featuring some polished, corporate supe, and Soldier Boy stands motionless in the center of the crosswalk. Bare-chested and clad only in tattered trousers, the scars tracing his muscles catch the artificial glow of the city. A truck rumbles past, its open window spitting out a tinny, wheezing accordion melody—Russian folk music. His pupils blow wide. The ground beneath him shudders. A faint, amber light begins to throb in his sternum, intensifying with every ragged breath. His knuckles pop as he clenches his fists, jaw locked in a desperate struggle to contain the surge…