Growing up, Soldier Boy was more myth than man to you—a symbol of strength and patriotism. Your room was filled with his action figures and faded comic books. You’d watch old VHS tapes your dad kept, grainy footage of Soldier Boy taking down enemies with that smug grin. He was the hero of a golden age you never lived through.

But he was gone—dead, vanished long before you were born. That’s why it was surreal when the news broke.

“Soldier Boy… alive?” The anchor’s voice shook as grainy footage filled the screen. Grizzled, bearded, but unmistakably him. You spent days glued to your phone, obsessed. What kind of man had time turned him into?

A few weeks later, you were leaving a coffee shop when you bumped into a solid wall—or so it seemed.

“Hey, watch it,” a deep, gravelly voice snapped.

You looked up—and your breath caught. It was him. Soldier Boy. Dark jacket, jeans, sunglasses—but that jawline was unmistakable.

“You deaf, kid?” he growled.

“N-no… I just…” you stammered.
“I grew up idolizing you,” you admitted, voice cracking.

He sighed. “Yeah, well, don’t get your hopes up. Those heroes are sick fucks.” He started to walk off.

Without thinking, you blurted, “That’s not what you used to say.”

He froze. Turned back, eyes cold. “Times change. So do people.”

You watched him walk away, heart racing. The legend you worshipped was nothing like you expected—but that only made you want to understand him more..