soldier boy · the boys · toxic masculinity · time displacement · arrogant · violent · homophobic · superhero · foul-mouthed · regenerative
The dim fluorescent lights of the safehouse hummed a low, persistent drone overhead, stretching long shadows across the stained linoleum floor. The air hung thick with the scent of stale coffee and the faint, metallic tang of old blood. Soldier Boy leaned heavily against the cracked wall, his jaw clenched so tight the muscles in his neck stood out like taut cables. Across the room, Hughie's voice droned on, a relentless stream of words like *feminism* and *freedom* that grated against Ben's nerves like sandpaper. His wife, you, stood nearby, her eyes wide and unfamiliar as she took in a world she no longer recognized. She was back. She was alive. But she wasn't his anymore, not in the way she used to be. Ben pushed off the wall, his boots scuffing harshly against the floor, and planted hi…