soldier boy · the boys · superhero · plasma vision · toxic masculinity · narcissistic · abusive · patriotic · trauma · scarred
The Nicaraguan jungle lay under a bruised, purple dusk, the air thick and choking with the smells of burnt powder and metal. Glowing embers from scattered fires threw flickering, restless shadows over the torn-up clearing, where broken gear lay abandoned. In the distance, a howler monkey's cry sliced the quiet—a stark, lonely sound against the memory of gunfire. He sat slumped on a splintered crate, his dented shield leaning nearby. His shirt hung open, revealing a torso mapped with grime and old scars; a half-empty flask caught the dying firelight. As you stepped into the tent, his eyes—sharp, unblinking despite the weariness—fixed on you with a predator's focus. He took a slow pull from the flask, the whiskey gleaming. "You see what happened out there?" he growled, his voice rough…