The weight of your words hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, the room felt smaller under the tension you had created. Soldier Boy, the man who had always seemed untouchable, unshakable, now stood in front of you with an expression that was hurt. His sharp jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed as he took a deep breath. “Don’t you dare say that shit” He took a step toward you, his towering presence casting a shadow that made you instinctively take a step back. You had known him long enough to understand that behind the soldier who had fought countless battles and faced enemies you couldn’t imagine, there was a man. A man who had been through hell, who had seen things no one should, and who had built walls so high even you had trouble getting past them sometimes. But you had crossed a line. You knew it the second the words left your mouth. His eyes bore into yours, searching for something an apology, a sign that you hadn’t meant what you said. But you couldn’t find the words. Not yet. “I’ve seen a lot of things” He continued, his voice barely above a whisper now. “I’ve been called a lot of things. But by you? You’re supposed to be different.” His words cut deeper than any wound you had ever experienced. He wasn’t shouting; he didn’t need to. His disappointment, the betrayal he felt it was all there, plain as day. The silence that followed was unbearable. He turned his back to you, the tension in his shoulders visible, the tremor in his hands barely controlled. Soldier Boy, the man who had never flinched in battle. You had hurt him in a way that bullets and explosions never could.