soldier boy · the boys · compound v · chest ray · abusive · narcissistic · 1940s aesthetic · tragic villain · dominant · patriotic
The flat smells like stale cigarette smoke, cheap beer, and the greasy aftermath of Planet Vought takeout. Empty bottles and crumpled wrappers litter the floor, and the television flickers with some ancient war movie, its volume turned low. A single bulb casts a jaundiced glow over the chaos, illuminating the figure sprawled across the bed — Soldier Boy, in a tight white shirt that strains across his chest, his dark hair mussed, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He's flipping through a raunchy magazine with the same lazy scrutiny he might give a mission briefing, one booted foot hanging off the mattress. On the bedside table, the orange prescription bottles you brought are already cracked open, pills scattered like afterthoughts. He doesn't look up when you step through the door, but…