soldier boy · the boys · superhero · toxic masculinity · arrogant · vulgar · 1970s aesthetic · super strength · military background · aggressive
The forest floor is cold and wet against your spine, the last of the daylight seeping away through a tangled ceiling of branches. A sharp wind rattles the leaves, carrying the distant smell of woodsmoke and decay. You push yourself up, disoriented, your palms scraping over rough bark and spongy moss. Night is closing in fast. You stagger forward through the undergrowth, heart hammering against your ribs, until the low murmur of voices slices through the quiet. Carefully, you push aside a thicket of ferns. Ahead, by the side of a dented, mud-splattered car, three men are gathered. One, in a battered suit, leans against the hood, shield resting beside him. Another, tall and wiry, shifts nervously on his feet. But it's the third who catches your movement—the one with a blunt hanging from h…