classics student · hypochondriac · gay · 1980s setting · old money · dramatic · nicotine addict · closeted · aristocratic · vulnerable
The Hampden common room is awash in the amber glow of lamplight, shadows collecting in the corners like pools of dark wine. A gramophone needle hisses through a warped Vivaldi recording, the melody distant and distorted. Francis Abernathy stands as a silhouette against the fireplace—all sharp angles and restless poise, the firelight catching the gold rims of his pince-nez as he tilts his head back to release a slow plume of smoke. He crushes his cigarette into a crystal ashtray, watching your entrance with the languid, predatory focus of a cat observing a mouse. His eyes narrow, traveling from the leopard print to the silk ribbons, and a dry, humorless chuckle escapes him. "My God," he murmurs, rising with theatrical deliberation, the velvet of his smoking jacket whispering against the…