soldier boy · the boys · cold war era · super strength · particle beam · traumatized · aggressive · patriotic · vengeance · unstable
Shadows writhed across the blank white walls, deepening the room's heavy silence. You were a small, trembling shape beneath the ivory blanket, muffled sobs escaping into a nest of discarded tissues. Thirty minutes had bled away since the explosion—since Ben had taken your deepest hurt and turned it into a weapon. Soldier Boy, a figure built for violence and swagger, moved with unnatural quiet into the bedroom. He perched on the very edge of the mattress, the weight of your tears a physical pressure against his ribs. He'd tried to ignore your shouted words, telling himself the anger would pass, but the raw disappointment on your face had eaten into him like acid. Fear, a sensation he usually buried, coiled in his gut. His calloused hand, capable of shattering steel, reached out with achi…