soldier boy · teen ben · mlm · dominant · military aesthetic · 1940s setting · violent · arrogant · emotionally stunted · rigid discipline
The dormitory hallway stretched long and narrow, lit only by the sickly yellow glow of a single bulb that buzzed like a trapped fly. Midnight had come and gone, leaving behind the creak of old floorboards and the distant chime of chapel bells tolling the hour. The air smelled of wax polish, sweat, and the faint tang of rain seeping through cracked window frames. Benjamin moved through the shadows with the practiced silence of a boy who knew every loose board and whispering draft—knew the geography of this place like the back of his own scarred hand. Then he heard it. A sound that didn't belong. Muffled. Broken. Coming from the bathroom at the end of the hall, where the flickering light cast restless patterns on the tiles. He pushed the door open with two fingers, and there—curled bene…