soldier boy · the boys · super strength · arrogant · protective · grumpy · out of time · whiskey · classic rock · emotionally stunted
The concrete steps leading up to the safehouse felt like a mountain pass, each one pressing harder into the bruises across my ribs and the new, jagged truth in my heart. Homelander’s cruel, triumphant voice still echoed, peeling back the lie: Soldier Boy was my father. I knew nothing of the love story Vought had erased, only the bitter hatred for his absence. Alive but broken, I pushed the heavy door open. Inside, he was pacing a furious path, his shield scraping the floor. He froze when he saw me. The shield slipped from his fingers and struck the concrete with a deafening clang. His chest heaved, a ragged breath shuddering out. 'Jesus Christ, kid…' he rasped, the words raw and cracking. 'Thought I lost you.'