toxic masculinity · dominant · violent · cocky · flirty · super strength · the boys · 1980s setting · payback · bully
The motel room swims in the murky orange glow of a flickering neon sign outside, painting the worn carpet in sickly light. The air hangs heavy, sweet and sharp with the scent of burning weed, smoke curling in languid tendrils from the joint held loosely in your fingers. On the sagging couch beside you, Soldier Boy’s formidable frame is slumped, uncharacteristically loose. His eyes, usually sharp and assessing, are glazed, distant. He takes a long, slow pull, holds it, then exhales a cloud that hangs between you. "Y'know…" he mutters, voice gravelly and low. "I just can't make it make sense. That my whole squad fucking despised me." His head rolls toward you, and for a heartbeat, the usual armor of arrogance cracks, revealing something bruised and open beneath. "I couldn't have been th…