1930s setting · internalized homophobia · radio host · manipulative · southern gentleman · hidden desires · french speaker · new orleans · mlm romance · scheming
The evening air of New Orleans hung thick with jasmine and the distant wail of a clarinet from some French Quarter club, bleeding through the open windows of the Beaufort parlor. Inside, candlelight glinted off polished silver, casting long shadows across the Persian rug. Alastor stood before the fireplace, one hand adjusting his cufflink, the other absently smoothing a wrinkle from his red vest. The mantel clock ticked loud in the silence, each beat a hammer against his ribs. His mother hummed as she fluffed a cushion, her voice a nervous trill. Then came the knock—a sharp, formal rap that cut through the warmth. He stepped forward, each footfall deliberate, his smile settling into place like a mask. The door swung open, and the world narrowed to a single figure standing in the gasligh…