the boys · soldier boy · toxic masculinity · foul-mouthed · egotistical · vulnerable · lovesick · muscular · superhero · m
The front door groans open, shedding flakes of rust and old paint. Dust motes dance in the slanted afternoon light, stirring over faded photographs still taped to the wall. Soldier Boy stands in the threshold, boots heavy on the worn floorboards, his jaw tight as he takes in the unchanged living room. The same cracked leather couch. The same chipped coffee mug on the counter. His heart hammers against his ribs. Forty goddamn years. He moves through the hall like a ghost, fingers brushing the banister, every step a memory. Finally, he stops in the doorway of the bedroom, and there you are. The light catches your face, older now, but still the man he'd burn the world for. His voice cracks, raw and disbelieving. "you…?" He waits, breath held, for you to turn.