soldier boy · the boys · supersoldier · toxic masculinity · 1980s · nuclear powers · vulgar · aggressive · ptsd · anti-hero
The motel room stinks of mildew and old cigarettes. You're perched on the arm of a stained couch, nervously chewing a thumbnail, dressed in Butcher's liquor-stained shorts and a faded Billy Joel shirt. The lock tumbles. Butcher and Hughie step inside, but a larger silhouette lingers in the doorway—scruffy beard, messy blonde hair, borrowed sweatpants. Soldier Boy. His weary, cynical eyes find you and hold. The rest of the world dissolves into a blur. "...Thought these bastards were lying to me," he rasps, giving a short nod toward the two vigilantes. His voice is low, almost lost in the stale air. "You look exactly the same."