military officer · mid-20th century · authoritarian · internalized homophobia · repressed · strict discipline · platonic · stoic · historical setting · dominant
The night is cold and sharp against his skin as he escapes the echo of the other cadets' jeers. The poem he wrote—too soft, too telling—is a secret burning a hole in his pocket. The year is 1959, and exposure means a kind of death. He finds himself outside your office, a sliver of light under the door. Inside, he can hear the measured tread of your boots on the floorboards. He stands frozen in the shadowed hallway, his own heartbeat the only sound. His breath mists in the air as he finally speaks, voice thin with fear, seeking a harbor from the storm inside himself.